Holiday Ro-oa-oa-oa-oa-oad

Steve and I are back to reality after an awesome road trip, but the girls are still in MN living it up! we had the time to drive this year, and the girls are so easy now, we just decided to go for it. We were loaded up and ready to go by about 7:30 the morning of July 5th!

 Before long, the girls had made the backseat into a fort and they were both sleeping soundly.

 We made it all the way to Des Moines on the 5th. It was a 10-hour car day, but worth it, and everyone did so well. We were all happy to get to the hotel, though.

 After we checked into our hotel, we hopped back in the car (I know - crazy) and headed just down the road to show the girls Steve's high school. He said it looks totally different.

 Then we went around the corner for a delicious wing dinner at The Chicken Coop.

Emma wasn't feeling a picture at this point. *need food*

 We ended the evening in the hotel pool. More front flipping ensued. It was a great way to burn some energy after the car day.

 Cute towel girls.

 We woke up Saturday morning and headed to Ames. It's truly one of our favorite places on earth. We took this same pic a few years back when Sara was just a little older than Emma is now.

 We loaded up on gear at the bookstore, and then walked around campus. The girls are both fully committed to going to ISU "as long as we have at least $100" - according to Emma. 

 Had to take a pic at the Campanile.

 We happened to be on campus right at noon, so Steve and the girls tried to beat the clock by running between Curtiss and Beardshear before the clock struck 12. They got a lot closer than we thought they would!

 An obligatory sign picture at Alpha Gam!

 We headed to Great Plains in downtown Ames for a late lunch before getting back on the road to MN.

Delish!

 We made it to MN early Saturday evening, and didn't waste anytime getting on the boat.

 Although we had some rain, we also had some beautiful lake days. We all rode Big Mabel. Emma didn't enjoy when I rode with her and Sara - apparently I threw off the weight balance too much.

 However, she somehow didn't mind riding with Steve. Mostly the girls rode together and caught lots of air on some big waves!

 Being on the lake always just brings me so much peace.

 One evening after a rainy day, it cleared up so Steve and Adam took the girls to Valley Fair. I think this was the only picture they took. The girls had a great time - hardly any lines so they rode anything and everything! While they were out, my mom, sister, and I had a girls dinner that lasted for a lot of hours. So good for us!

 On one of the other rainy days, Steve and I took the girls to Mall of America. They rode a couple of rides, perused Lego Land, and we all just enjoyed shopping around. That evening, it cleared up again and we all went to Melissa and Adam's for ribs on their new smoker. So good. Melissa and I wore our matching shirts. I got one for my parents, too, and somehow we missed every opportunity to all take a picture together. Next time...

 The Rangers happened to be in town, so we all went to the Twins game. It was the girls' first time being the opposing fans in a stadium, and I think Sara felt a little intimidated at first being one of only a few in Rangers gear - but she soon got over it and we all had a great, sweaty time. I love these people!

It was hard to leave MN, as it always is, and I asked the girls about a million times if they wanted to come home with us. They said "no" every time ... and now they're having a blast with G & G. On the way home, Steve and I stopped to see friends in Ankeny, and then stopped again for a cold draft Boulevard in KC. That one drink turned into a night in KC. We grabbed a hotel downtown and had a great time in the Power & Lights District. It was our own mini vacation to end our vacation!

We got up early Sunday morning and headed home. Hit lots of rain, but made decent time. And miracle of miracles, Steve made it through this length road trip without a speeding ticket. So while road tripping makes us feel a little Griswold-y, it was smooth sailing and lots of fun for us this time along the holiday ro-oa-oa-oa-oa-oad!

short, sweet summer

Between the end of summer school and the start of my new contract year, I had exactly twelve days off! For the first few of those days, the girls and I had some time together. Day #1 was full of major closet clean-outs! The girls did a great job getting rid of things that didn't fit and/or they didn't like anymore; we packed four garbage bags full of clothes to donate. I knew both girls were in need of some better-fitting summer clothes, but I didn't want to shop until we knew exactly what we needed. I was so glad to get through that major chore, and we followed up by stocking up on the items we still needed and then a lunch out at Plucker's! 

We spent a day at Klyde Warren Park in downtown Dallas. I'd been wanting to go forever, and we finally just hopped in the car and headed down there. We all had a great time, and just as we were too tired and sweaty to play anymore, the rain started. Good timing!

 Of course we had to check out the selection at all of the food trucks!

 Badminton was harder than it looked! As the girls were playing, Steve walked up. It was just a quick drive over from his office during his lunch, so we had fun catching up midday. 

Cool treats melted quickly!

Taking a little rest. 

 We had one day full of rain and the girls didn't get out of pajamas! Emma made various treats in the kitchen (pretzels in chocolate was the winner).

 Meanwhile, Sara was committed to finishing Harry Potter #5 ... it's a long one! Our quiet day worked out well for me as I spent time getting us packed for our MN trip.

 We had a fun 4th! It was low-key since we had plans to leave for MN on the 5th. Swimming, hot dogs on the grill, and fireworks viewing from the back of the truck. We all love this simple tradition - we pack a cooler and swing through McDonald's for a late night snack for the girls. In the lot we go to, an ice cream cart comes around, too. It's always festive! On the 4th, the girls also mastered their front flips into the pool. Once they started, they couldn't stop!

Beyond all that, we slept in, swam, got my car tuned up, and made and delivered homemade muffins to our nearby fire department. Short but sweet summer.

Book Talk

I think a few people still stop by this blog for book recs, and I've got some good ones!  All of these are great summer pool/beach/vacation/lazy weekend reads. 

 My sister recommended The Perfume Collector. It's after the war in London, and Grace is fortunate to be running in an important social circle. She is trying to be content with this life when she mysteriously finds herself the lone heir to an inheritance from someone she doesn't know. Grace heads to Paris to unravel what she thinks must be a mistake, and finds that maybe she's ended up where she was supposed to be all along. In order to understand what was happening with Grace in 1950's Paris, much of the story is told in 1920's New York, too - such neat time periods and, for the crowds in the story, full of glitz and glamour.

 The Book of Essie follows a very strict, straight-laced, religious reality TV family who have made millions (of dollars and fans) putting their perfection in front of the camera. Behind the scenes there's a different story, though, and when teenage Essie becomes pregnant, her mom and the show's producers will go to any length to keep the pregnancy from damaging ratings. Super scandalous, and can't help but make you think of what else happens behind the scenes on all the those TLC reality shows we know and love! It didn't necessarily end exactly the way I wanted it to, but super good nonetheless.

 I can't remember if Ghosted was recommended or if it just popped up and looked interesting.  Sarah and Eddie have a whirlwind week filled with laughter and falling in love. Their time together is to briefly end while Eddie goes on a previously-planned trip, but without warning, Eddie seems to completely fall off the face of the earth. Sarah believes there is a reason he's not calling, and she digs to the point that even she thinks she's a little crazy (after her friends and his have hinted at this). She comes to discover that there is a reason he's disappeared, though, and they both have to come to terms with an event from their past in order to move forward. Great combo of love and mystery!

I kept seeing Adequate Yearly Progress on Twitter, and I had to get it - AYP is the term for how our schools are measured in Texas. I would love to say this book was entirely satire, but there was a lot of ugly truth in it (even amongst some extreme exaggeration). It follows a group of teachers at one high school where everyone is just trying to do the best job they can, but with initiative after initiative piled on (without any real purpose), it's easy to lose sight of why the staff entered the profession at all. Couple that with a superintendent who is just out for fame and a variety of relationships that provide an undertone at the school, the book is definitely entertaining even if it hit close to home.  To someone outside of public education, I'm sure the book would seem totally ridiculous - that thought occurred to me multiple times while reading. Either way, I think it could be enjoyed by any audience.

"The world was hers for the reading."

-Betty Smith